Los Angeles Dodgers: Five players that deserve more credit in 2018

Rich Hill – LHP

The night of August 23rd will not be easily forgotten. For Dodger fans, it was the first true heartbreak of the season. For Rich Hill, it’s the no-hitter that almost was. It was the kind of game that makes us lose faith in baseball, just a little bit, and just for a little while because something great came so close to becoming a reality.

Of all the home runs hit off Dodger pitching, this is the one that stings the most. In the bottom of the 10th inning in Pittsburgh, Hill’s no-hitter still intact, Pirates second basemen, Josh Harrison hit it out.

With a single swing, Harrison ended Hill’s no-hit bid, and he ended the game.

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Rich Hill, a veteran starter who has played for eight organizations over the course of his 13-year career, is exactly the kind of player the Dodgers look for. He has more experience than most of the veterans currently in the majors. He’s tough, he’s overcome a lot. He’s found a home in LA, and in the Dodgers’ rotation.

In 2017 he boasted a 12-8 record and a 3.32 ERA. Rich Hill is, to put it simply, a quality pitcher. Hill’s curveball is second to none, with the exception of Clayton Kershaw.

Hill, who was traded to the Dodgers at the 2016 deadline from Oakland, is now a no-doubt-about-it starter for the Dodgers. Nothing in this game is certain, but there are a few things that come close, and one of them is that Rich Hill is going to be starting for the Dodgers.

He’ll throw his curveball, the pitch that never fails to shock hitters. He and his battery mate, which will almost-always be Austin Barnes, will understand one another incredibly well.

Rich Hill deserves all the credit in the world because he is the epitome of everything the Dodgers strive to be; strong, determined, honest, and real.

Next: Dodgers Showing the Importance Of Versatility

With a roster this strong, is LA once again fated for the World Series?